That question has always conflicted with my beliefs... and it still does... Furthermore... When I started to fade and was reading the yellow Bible story book to my son it suddenly striked me: I was reading to my little son about death and destruction... at an early age... I could not continu doing that!
Also God himself states the following in Ezekiel: c The soul who sins shall die. d The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. e The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, f and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
This is quite the opposite of what is stated in exodus 20:6:
I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. 6 But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.
I do still not think that exodus should be taken literally though it has the looks of a contradiction